Cauliflower in Mango Sauce

I usually end of making a dessert out of mango or eating slices just like that. This time around I was bored of the usual stuff and on a whim decided to cook dinner with mango. On paper, cauliflower and mango didn't look like a great combination, but once on the plate it was good, unusual, but good.

Ingredients

Cauliflower florets – 2 cups

Diced Onion – 1 medium

Garlic – 1 clove

Chopped Mango – 1 medium

Cumin powder – ¼ tsp

Red chili sauce – 1 tsp

Water – 2 cups

Salt and pepper

Red chili flakes – as tolerated

Oil – as needed

In a microwave safe bowl combine water, cauliflower florets and salt. Mix and cook in the microwave for 15 minutes. Alternatively, boil the florets for 10 minutes or so on a gas stove. Drain water, set aside the florets and let them cool.

In a skillet, heat 4 tsp of oil. Shallow fry the cauliflower florets in batches. Add pepper and red chili sauce to every batch while being shallow fried.  In the meanwhile, in another pan heat 1 tsp oil and cook the diced onion and garlic for a couple of minutes. 

Add chopped mango, red chili flakes, cumin powder, salt and pepper and 2 cups of water. Choose the mango carefully; it should be neither raw nor too ripe. Cook covered for 20 minutes. Puree in blender once cool.

10 minutes before serving this dish, bring the puree to a boil and add the cauliflower florets. Cook them together covered for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Serving suggestions

·         With brown or white rice

Tips

·         1 tsp of Soya sauce adds a nice flavor to this dish.

  Interesting fact

·   The mango is the national fruit of India and mango tree is the national tree of the neighboring country of Bangladesh.

Bok Choy and Tofu

Bok Choy and Tofu

One of the followers here on this blog and my friend Reefath once suggested do some Tofu recipes (quick ones). So this one is for you Reefath and since there is a lot of Tofu still left, some more will follow!

Ingredients

Bok Choy (Chinese cabbage) – one bunch

Diced tofu – 1 cup

Any salad dressing – 4 tsp

White Sesame seeds – 1 tsp

Red chili sauce – 1 tsp

Soya sauce – 2 tsp

Oil – half tsp

Salt and pepper

Separate the green leafy portion of the Bok Choy and wash it thoroughly. Chop them roughly and in a bowl combine the Bok Choy greens, diced Tofu and the salad dressing. Mix well and refrigerate covered for 2 hours.

Heat oil in a skillet and add sesame seeds. Once they come to a splutter add the Bok Choy and Tofu and the remaining sauces. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook on high flame for 2 more minutes. Turn the heat off and serve immediately as it is important to maintain the slightly crunchy texture of the Bok Choy.

Serving suggestions

·         Steamed rice

Tips

·         If you do not have salad dressing, mix finely chopped garlic and 2 tsp vinegar instead.

  Interesting fact

·         Bok Choy is the main ingredient for making “Kimchi”.

·         The traditional Chinese method of cooking suggests Bok Choy must be combined with ginger or chili pepper in any recipe for health benefits.

Carrot Fried Rice & Cauliflower Manchurian

The cooking part in Chinese cuisine takes no time at all; the chopping part however is a different story. And that is the reason why most of the times I crave for home made Chinese food my heart goes: Veg. Manchurian..yess.. and the mind (my hands) go..nah..too much chopping, maybe some other time ! 

But then, in the battle of the heart and mind, the heart always wins. After spending quite some time in the kitchen mulling over the preparations, I have figured out a not so tiring Indian-Chinese menu to cook at home.

Cauliflower Manchurian and Carrot fried rice use all the necessary sauces and only a couple of the veggies, making it a mouth watering yet easy to cook meal. That it happens to be Valentine’s day today and those two are my valentine’s favorite dishes is of course just a coincidence!

Carrot Fried Rice

White rice – 2 cups

Thinly sliced carrots – 3 medium

Finely chopped scallions – 1 small bunch

Finely chopped ginger – 1 tsp

Vinegar – 2 tsp

Green chili sauce – half tsp

Soya sauce – 2 tsp

Oil – 4 tsp

Salt and pepper

Cook rice in 4 cups of water and a little salt and set aside at least three hours before. Heat the oil in a deep vessel and add scallions and ginger. Stir on high flame for 2 minutes. Add carrots and keep cooking for 3 to 4 minutes on high flame. Add the sauces, cooked rice, salt and pepper. Mix well and serve steaming hot with:

Cauliflower Manchurian

Cauliflower florets – 2 cups

Chopped green bell pepper – half a cup

Finely chopped scallions – half a cup

Finely chopped ginger – half tsp

Finely chopped green chilies – 1 tsp

Finely chopped garlic – 1 tsp

Vinegar – 2 tsp

Red chili sauce – 1 tsp

Soya sauce – 4 tsp

Tomato ketchup – 1 tsp

Water – 5 cups

Corn starch – 7 tsp

Oil for frying – as needed

Salt and pepper

Boil 2 cups of water, add salt and cauliflower florets. Cook for 5 minutes, drain and keep aside. In a bowl take 6 tsp of corn starch, a little salt, finely chopped green chilies and ginger and form a thick paste adding some water (less than half a cup will be needed). Heat oil in a frying pan; dip the cauliflower florets in the corn starch paste and deep fry till golden brown.

In yet another pan heat 1 tsp of oil and stir fry scallion, green chilies, garlic and ginger on high flame for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the sauces and remaining water, bring to a boil. Dissolve 1 tsp corn starch in 3 tsp water and stir in into the gravy to thicken it. Add the cauliflower florets and cook for 2 minutes. Cauliflower Manchurian is ready to be devoured!

Interesting fact

*The Indian-Chinese cuisine was developed over a century ago in Kolkata by

  the Chinese community living there.